Solar Cell Efficiency World Record Broken — New Record Is 44.7%

A new solar cell conversion efficiency world record has been set — an impressive 44.7% conversion efficiency was achieved by a solar cell created by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, with help from Soitec, CEA-Leti, and the Helmholtz Center Berlin. The new record surpasses the previous one of 44.4%, that was set just a couple of months ago by the Sharp Corporation.

The new solar cells — which are based on the utilization of a new solar cell structure with four solar subcells — are another step towards the widely shared (in the industry) goal of a solar cell possessing a conversion efficiency of at least 50%. Conversion efficiency refers to the percentage of the solar spectrum that is harnessed and converted into electrical energy — a 44.7% conversion efficiency means that 44.7% of the total solar spectrum, including infrared and ultraviolet, are converted into electricity by the new solar cells.

Surpassing competition after only over three years of research, and entering the roadmap at world class level, a new record efficiency of 44.7% was measured at a concentration of 297 suns. Back in May 2013, the German-French team of Fraunhofer ISE, Soitec, CEA-Leti and the Helmholtz Center Berlin had already announced a solar cell with 43.6% efficiency. Building on this result, further intensive research work and optimization steps led to the present efficiency of 44.7%.

These solar cells are used in concentrator photovoltaics (CPV), a technology which achieves more than twice the efficiency of conventional PV power plants in sun-rich locations. The terrestrial use of so-called III-V multi-junction solar cells, which originally came from space technology, has prevailed to realize highest efficiencies for the conversion of sunlight to electricity. In this multi-junction solar cell, several cells made out of different III-V semiconductor materials are stacked on top of each other. The single subcells absorb different wavelength ranges of the solar spectrum.

“We are incredibly proud of our team which has been working now for three years on this four-junction solar cell,” states Frank Dimroth, Department Head and Project Leader in charge of this development work at Fraunhofer ISE. “This four-junction solar cell contains our collected expertise in this area over many years. Besides improved materials and optimization of the structure, a new procedure called wafer bonding plays a central role. With this technology, we are able to connect two semiconductor crystals, which otherwise cannot be grown on top of each other with high crystal quality. In this way we can produce the optimal semiconductor combination to create the highest efficiency solar cells.”

About the Author

James Ayre 's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy. You can follow his work on Google+.

Advertisement

Daily solar news for free!

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Solar News. Solar Commentary. Original Solar Analysis.

The content produced by this site is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions and comments published on this site may not be sanctioned by, and do not necessarily represent the views of Sustainable Enterprises Media, Inc., its owners, sponsors, affiliates, or subsidiaries.